Asthma may be a disease in which (i) bronchoconstriction, (ii) excessive mucus production, and/or (iii) inflammation and swelling of airways may occur, causing widespread but variable airflow obstruction, thereby making it difficult for the asthma sufferer to breathe. Asthma may be a chronic disorder, primarily characterized by persistent airway inflammation. Asthma may be further characterized by acute episodes of additional airway narrowing via contraction of hyper-responsive airway smooth muscle (ASM).
Asthma may be a serious condition with a growing number of sufferers and thus needs to be managed appropriately. A number of devices and techniques have been available for treating asthma; those techniques, however, are neither successful nor free from side effects. Overall, conventional devices have not proved sufficiently therapeutic, nor have they been designed to deal with complex asthmatic scenarios. Thus, there exists a need for new methods and/or devices to treat asthma and/or other conditions causing breathing difficulty or distress.